In innumerable cultures worldwide there exist accounts of hair-covered, 'wild men' who dwell deep in the forests. While to some degree these beings come in different shapes and sizes, for the most part they are described as being powerfully built and gigantic in stature, as well as displaying physical characteristics between both ape and man. For those of us who are receptive to such ideas the crux of the debate has always been - Provided they actually do exist, taxonomically which family do they belong in? Are they merely pongids, great lumbering apes that have evolved with an exclusively upright gait? Or perchance are they hominins, early sub-humans that retain archaic traits such as excessive hairiness and muscle mass? As humans, this particular distinction is important to us for very profound reasons. The answer could potentially reveal clues about our own origins and true nature.

For about six decades now, the most popular theory has revolved around an immense fossil anthropoid known as Gigantopithecus, which is known from hundreds of truly enormous fossilized teeth, as well as four mandibles that have been discovered in China, Vietnam and India beginning in 1934. Based on theoretical reconstructions it has been estimated that `Giganto' may have stood ten feet tall and weighed over half a ton. While its genus currently resides in the subfamily that includes orangutans, it is unclear whether Gigantopithecus was a knuckle walker or moved around on two legs, since no bones from below the neck have been found. It's a given such a massive primate would by design have lived a terrestrial rather than arboreal existence. Based on studies of its dentition, it would appear Giganto's diet consisted primarily of vast amounts of bamboo, grasses and other vegetable matter. These creatures lived alongside human precursors including Homo erectus during the late Pleistocene, hundreds of thousands of years ago, and probably left an indelible impression on our kin.

When we consider Gigantopithecus fossils have been found in regions where there traditionally have been reports of cryptid wild men - The Yeti of the Himalayas, the Yeren of China and the Nguoi Rung of Vietnam, a potential connection seems intriguinge. Fhuersteheimrmporeress, iivt'es not impossible to envision an extant population o. t anthropoids could have migrated over the Beringia land bridge that once connected Asia to North America during the last glacial period, thus explaining legends and sightings of Bigfoot or Sasquatch, as well. The great heights that are often associated with these so-called monsters (reputedly towering over humans), is significant since we know of no other primates that achieved such a stature. Nevertheless in light of recent discoveries, as well as other factors, perhaps it's time to consider the possibility that a widespread and highly adaptable human ancestor might instead be responsible for accounts of our man beasts. If relict hominins have truly managed to remain undetected in the remote wilderness areas of our planet, they may very well represent an excessively robust form of Homo erectus.

Scientists speculate Homo erectus (known popularly as Java/ Peking man) evolved in Africa around 1.8 million years ago and spread out into Asia, Oceania and Europe (Homo heidelbergensis) for the next million years or so. Some have even mused that erectus may have reached Australia at some point. Incidentally, The Land Down Under boasts its own mythical man beast known as the Yowie. A relatively recent excavation suggests one potential and diminutive subspecies (Homo floresiensis) remained extant in Indonesia as recently as 12,000 years ago. During 1996 a research team working along Java's Solo River uncovered some H. erectus fossils that were initially dated as recent as 35,000 to 50,000 years old, indicating they might have coexisted with later humans. A contemporary reassessment concluded the fossils were at least 143,000 years old, which is roughly about the time when most scientists think erectus became extinct. Regardless, based on its impressive longevity and distribution in the fossil record, Homo erectus was easily the most successful hominin form ever. Now, it must be recognized that anthropologists express a great deal of disagreement over how to properly categorize most pre-human fossils, so there is really nothing definitive that can be said about any of them. Paleontologist Lee Hales puts things in perspective. "The problem is that we are rarely dealing with a complete skeleton, not to mention that we can't be sure what stage of development we are looking at in a particular species. Essentially without all the information it winds up being a matter of pure speculation." And yet based on the available data it would appear some H. erectus offshoots might have displayed both remarkable adaptability and physical diversity, including robust types that may have conceivably approached Bigfoot-sized dimensions.